


coffee break

by timeisaconstruct



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - DJs, Awkward Mark Lee (NCT), Confident Na Jaemin, Flirty Na Jaemin, M/M, Na Jaemin is Whipped, Na Jaemin is a Confident Gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeisaconstruct/pseuds/timeisaconstruct
Summary: After a minute asks his usual question. “Can I get you anything? Or are you a broke College student?”The jab is directed more at Jaehyun rather than him -- who rolls his eyes -- but the mark takes it in stride. “Am I broke? At this point, probably. Is that going to stop me from getting what I like? No.” Mark laughs and Jaehyun looks away, just barely containing his amusement as the boy lets out an unhappy sound.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	coffee break

The clock ticks by, one second at a time, and Mark wants to punch it. He's stuck in this _godawful_ (there's nothing wrong with lovely 24/7 café Mark spends his nights at in the back alleys of Seoul, serving overworked weirdos, high school, uni, and college students, people craving midnight coffee, people with no life, and the occasional friend who comes to entertain him. Usually Jaehyun though so no surprise there.)

With being a radio host in the daytime and working a night shift Mark isn't always in what you might call the best state of mind but fuck that he's practically broke. But at least he works somewhere nice.

The café door swings open and at the grand time of 9:24, and what looks to be a college student stumbles through the door. He has been coming for about a month and always leaving precisely ten minutes before Mark's shift ends and Jaehyun takes over. The younger has a shift from nine to midnight while the older took midnight to four am so they can sleep and switch off. _And_ they've held the same split schedule from when they were teenagers in high school. So everything happens to work out just fine.

He swings his backpack over a chair and gets his laptop out and what looks like several pages of notes before fast-walking towards the door near the back labelled _Mens_. Mark laughs at his untimely manner and starts making a latte to help himself stay awake.

When he's done and has popped the cap on the warm drink, the student walks out of the bathroom and towards the front of the store, staring at the menu. Mark watches him and after a minute asks a question. "Could I perhaps get you anything or are you broke?"

"Am I broke? At this point, probably. Is that going to stop me from getting what I love? No. Coffee is love, coffee is life." Mark laughs and the boy lets out a hmph. "I'll have an americano with ten shots of espresso and before you say that's dangerous to my health I really don't give a shit"

"Wow Mr. Stubbornness is my middle name, can I get a name for your coffee?"

"Na Jaemin but my friends call me Nana." He says as he gets his card out to pay.

"So can I call you Nana?"

"Well I mean you watch me every day I come here so I considered you could see into my soul and knew my darkest secrets. _And_ you don't seem like a person who would tell all my secrets so yea, I count you as a friend."

"Where were you during this long month that you just sprinted in and sprinted out?"

"Half asleep, I just realized that all my classes just require me to go over the slides and show up for tests, so I should stop wasting my time going there." He laughs smiling at Mark.

"I wish I could go to college. I'm an idol so obviously not."

"Lemme guess Mark Lee the famous DJ?"

"Woah- how'd you know? Did you recognize my voice? Is it distinct?!" Mark almost yells, almost spilling it as he slides Jaemin's coffee across the table.

"You give me Mark Lee vibes, I don't know." He shrugs taking his coffee to his seat. "Can I play my music out loud?"

"As long as it's NCT." Mark gives a cheeky smile.

"Oh, now I remember why I like EXO!"

"Shut up!"Jaemin laughs as Mark pretends to pout looking away from him. "Meanie!"

* * *

"That is STRAY KIDS!"

"Don't pout like a caterpillar you'll get WRINKLES!"

Jaemin has been coming to the shop and playing his music for about a month now. And every time he comes Mark can't help but laugh at everything he does. Then he finally comes to a revelation. Mark thinks Jaemin is cute.

"The rule is only NCT." He fake pouts but honestly, nowadays around Jaemin they're becoming more and more real.

"Fine." He fiddles with his phone before pressing play.

"The OUTRO? What the actual fuck?"

"It's good too! My bias gets lines for once! Youngho I mean." Mark feels that one inside his heart.

"Oh-Okay."

"But seriously I need to get some stuff done." Mark busies himself with cleaning the kitchen, then all the counters, and finally making Jaemin another coffee. He's given up on telling Jaemin to only play NCT when he takes a glimpse of the playlist name. It's labelled 'NOT NCT'.

Jaemin is silent as he works, thanking Mark with a quiet 'thank you' before getting started right away. When everything is done and finished Mark finds himself watching Jaemin as he works. He has a hand in his greyish silver-white hair as he looks back and forth from his phone, to what appears to be noted from the class he actually goes to, and—of course—his computer.

"Mark?" The younger calls.

"When do you sleep?"

“Um on the weekends mostly but sometimes in between breaks and on the couch at the station–”

“That's it, I'm taking over your job, go lay down.”Jaemin stands up and guides Mark over to the small couch in the café. “Go to sleep. You need it.” Mark is too exhausted to speak, immediately curled up into a fetal position. Jaemin texts Jaehyun to come earlier from his phone. He leaves before the older can arrive.

“Jesus Mark. You've passed out.”

* * *

“oh baby can I be your boyfriend can I~”

"DJ’s can't date Jaemin." Mark blushes, hiding his face. “And turn that shit off.”

”Oh baby oH bAbY~”

“No!”

Jaemin leans closer on the counter looking into Mark's eyes as a smile grows on his face and he starts to speak as the song changes. “Who do you love~”

"Na. Jaemin. getaway from mY fAcE yO-"

“Whoa Mark, your boyfriend is hot,” Jaehyun says, walking into the shop with his gym bag strung over his shoulder.

"Came in early 'cause Taeyong wants you back at the dorms.' Important announcement' or whatever. Probably just to confirm he's for real this time dating seulgi." Jaehyun looks bored and Mark lets out a forced laugh backing away from the counter.

"Jaemin isn't my boyfriend." He says at the same time Jaemin says "Hey, I'm his boyfriend."

"FOR THE LAST TIME WE'RE NOT DATING."

"You hurt my heart more and more as the year's pass. First those dreadful cherry bomb fan cams, now this? What more can I take?" Jaemin fake sobs, punching over the counter.

"Stop being overdramatic and score a good score on your Playwritingclass or whatever the fuck you study. Bye."

Mark picks his bag up before heading out the door. From outside, he watches Jaemin resume his place in the window and pack everything up. He slips it in his red backpack before turning back to the store door. Before Jaemin can see him, Mark sprints down the sidewalk.

* * *

Jaehyun is the first person who says anything. He came earlier again, this time Jaemin was only working and left abruptly when he saw Jaehyun was there. "You like him." He states as Mark sips his latte at the window, appreciating the drowsiness of the sleeping city.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

Mark decides to be pretty straight forward since its Jaehyun and he knows the older won't tease, at least not that much over a topic like this, so he doesn't worry touch about just how much he admitted to the older. ~~Well, maybe a bit (But shhh)~~.

"Mm."

Jaehyun washes the dishes of other customers and dries them as Mark silently dozes off at the table. His shift is almost five hours long and he knows that Mark usually sleeps during his shifts sometimes as well. Because if they're jobs, a good nights sleep doesn't always happen. And if they were to quit, both might be actually broken. One dollar a day _does not_ suffice.

At the end of his hours, he hesitates to wake the younger up. He is resting so peacefully on the table, snoring softly and dreaming like the child he should be. Jaehyun ignores that the younger is now twenty-one years old. Mark's button nose twitches in his sleep before it scrunched and Mark gives out a tiny yawn and a cute little arm stretch. Jaemin is one lucky ass man.

"C'mon we gotta get to SM, you okay?"

"Yeah," he yawns getting up and following Jaehyun out the door. "Taeyong might be mad."

"Might be," Jaehyun sighs. He ghosted his question.

* * *

Lucas is the second. Despite him not going to Mark's shifts often, because he A, models a lot—gets enough income from that so he doesn't often stay up—B, has been in China for most of the year, he wasn't really going to fly to Seoul _just for mark_. So when he notices the older starts to look a little different during they’re hangouts, Lucas tries to come to a conclusion.

He knows about Mark's job and how he and Jaehyun work together, but he also knows it can't be Jaehyun if the other isn't distant as well. It has to be something different. Though it's a week later when he decides to come in, he does do so after a particularly stressful day of being on air.

It's eight forty pm when Mark slings a bag filled with assorted pens and pencils, a few notebooks, an apron, and a change of clothes before he walks to the door. Lucas follows him in some street clothes.

"Can I come with?" He questions, just as the older puts his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.

"S-sure, I d-don't mind."

Stuttering. Mark Lee doesn't stutter. He's confident in his words and doesn't say he doesn't mind.

Lucas raises an eyebrow. "Aight bro, let's go!" He gives a half-smile in return.

Half smiles. Mark Lee doesn't do half-smiles. By this point, he would be punching Lucas in the shoulder in laughter.

Mark opens the door and Lucas walks out, watching him shut it before they continue they're walking towards the store. It only takes about five to ten minutes to walk to the shop—he remembers from the last time that they'd stopped at a convenience store to get snacks—they don't do that today.

They reach the shop in record time, and in record silence. There has to be something going on and _it_ is at _this_ coffee shop. Because Mark Lee **hates** awkward silence. Mark's about to open the shop when a voice startled them both. Well only Mark, he drops the shop's keys.

"MARK LEE!"

"J-jaemin, nice to see you too…" he says quietly, avoiding Lucas's eye contact and blushing significantly. The so-called _Jaemin_ runs up and wraps an arm around Mark's shoulders as he walks inside. Lucas smirks. He just found Mark's problem.

"And hello! I didn't introduce myself!" Jaemin does a one-eighty, bowing to Lucas. "Nice to meet you I'm Na Jaemin, Mark's former boyfriend." He smirks.

"Wha-"

"Nice to meet you Jaemin, Mark's boyfriend. I'm Huang Xuxi or Wong Yukhei, or Lucas. I have many names."

"Oh I know," he takes a seat at the bar where Mark has started making an over the phone order. "You're my like second favorite show!"

"Glad to know I'm loved. Take good care of Mark for me, and DON'T do anything too kinky He's starting to get unfocused in the studio." Lucas directs this Mark looking at him as he huffs turning away.

"You are both mean. And I’m not your boyfriend Jaemin." Mark crosses his arms and labels the coffee before setting it aside and looking at Lucas and Jaemin who both have their heads in they're hands-on the tables, faking innocence.

"No yet~" he cheekily replies. Mark sighs in defeat. "Not yet bitch."

 _Maybe I'll keep this to myself._ Lucas thinks.

* * *

A/N: Mark and Lucas work at a conjoined radio company that has offices in both China and Korea

* * *

Jaemin is the third person to notice. He's never known Mark to be very passive-aggressive and to hear him curse is another great surprise because in the month and a half Jaemin known him—in person he means, but then again even when he was just a K-pop idol to him too—Mark Lee didn't curse. It's been about a week since Lucas stopped by and Jaemin has started noticing some things different about him.

Number One: Passive-Aggressiveness.

Mark has been pushing him away, looking at his phone more and pretended on some occasions he can't hear Jaemin. It's _slightly_ annoying—scratch that **_very_** annoying.

"Markeu hyung~"

"What."

"What are you doing on your phone~"

"Nothing." He turns it off before Jaemin can see what he's doing and slips it in his pocket. "What do you need?"

"You." He hoists himself over the counter to sit facing Mark. "I wanna look at you."

"What the hell Jaemin. Get off the counter, i need to clean it now. Don't you have homework you need to do?" Jaemin seems to mask his hurt with needing to do homework but its not like Mark noticed anyways. Because Mark was totally not watching.

After spraying the entire counter in disinfectant. Twice. He begins to wipe both the front and back counters with one of the kitchen rags when Ten calls him. He stops for a second to put him on speakerphone before continuing.

" _Hey,_ " He starts in english.

" _So Lucas told me about your boy toy._ "

Mark sighs. " _He's not my boy toy._ "

" _So, boyfriend?_ "

He sighs again. " _Neither. And I'm not irresponsible like the both of you two. I actually know the risks._ "

Jaemin has gotten up from his seat in the window again and cones near Mark's phone when his back is turned, talking to Ten in perfect english. " _Mark is just a stubborn goat. Give him time and we'll be together. Na Jaemin promises._ "

" _I swear to god Jaemin._ "

" _Swearing is a sin minhyung._ "

" _i approve i aPROVE I APPROVE." Ten screams. "I'm gonna start on wedding preparations!_ "

" _We're thinking about a blue and brown colour scheme. And rustic._ "

"I hate blu– that actually isn't a bad…"

" _As Mark's resident best friend I agree. Now i have to hang up, a certain Liu Yangyang wants to do a instagram live._ "

"Bye Tenn." Jaemin finishes in korean.

"Bye Jaeminnie,"

“I still can’t believe your best friend is _a model_.”

“KNET is under SM entertainment so of course I see him. Did you know Lucas is a model too? And that I’m friends with Taeyong?”

“WHAT!” He screeches. “When we get together you _better_ introduce me. My favorite song is AROUND and i want another hitchhiker collab. And emphasis on when.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mark brushes him off, blushing.

A blonde haired man walks in and Jaemin sits down as he is a customer who ordered by phone and came in to pick it up. "You're Donghyuck right?"

"Thats me," he smiles and for a second Mark mistakes him for Haechan. "Is there something on my face?"

"No. You look like my best friend and I was scared for a second."

"Is he ugly?"

"I don't think so since he's Haechan, a radio host for KNET the radio show." Mark smiles back at his confused expression. Donghyuck turns around and is ready to leave before sitting down across from Jaemin at the bar. Mark pretends like it doesn't hurt when they start talking for a while. He pretends he doesn't look when he hears Jaemin's pretty laugh.

Is it pretty? Did Mark just start catching a glimpse of it?

Eventually Donghyuck leaves. Eventually it’s time for Mark to close up shop and eventually he sees Jaemin start to pack up his stuff. Mark heads out back to change into his street clothes and half of him hopes that by the time he lugs his backpack on his back and sots at one of the open café tables, Jaemin has left.

He hasn't. When Mark gets out and sits at an empty table, Jaemin joins him, getting out his phone and looking at something he can't see.

"Don't you need to get home?"

"Nope." He sets his phone aside and underneath the table crosses his legs. In the pale moonlight Jaemin looks like he's been electrified and is a hundred times prettier. But it's only the light.

"We should uh," He clears his throat. "I wanna talk."

"About?"

"Us. You and I." He looks Mark in the eyes with an expression he's never seen before. And in all honesty, he's terrified. But he doesn't let it show. Because Mark Lee is all for show and not tell.

"I don't think there's anything to talk about, but speak if you really want." Mark avoids his straight eye contact but after a few seconds he looks back because he really can't restrain himself.

"Oh I do want. You've been off Lee Minhyung. Your acting differently and you seem to be distant. I don't like it."

"I guess I'm just tense around you."

"Why are you tense? Did i do something? Hey wai–" Mark stands up and rushes out the door when he sees in the distance Jaehyun approaching. He's standing right where Mark left him in a pretty similar position except for his facial expression when moments later, Jaehyun walks in. Composing himself, Jaemin gets his stuff together once again and waves to Jaehyun on his way out. He looks from side to side at street and sidewalk when he's excited through the door but Mark is nowhere in sight. He curses to himself.

"I am _positive_ he likes me."

* * *

"He is _so_ annoying." Jaemin sets his stuff down the next day in the same shop as he continues talking to someone on his phone. Mark is at the counter and greets him as usual but Jaemin is preoccupied and only smiles when he wants his drink to be made.

"Like Jesus we get it but people in that industry date all the time. And he even told his friend, who told me as well, that he likes me! Such a chicken." Mark comes over and brings him his coffee.

"Okay I gotta go injunnie but take care and I’ll see you on Friday and I’ll be over with coffee of course." Mark can hear a muffled response from the receiving end before Jaemin hangs up.

"Sorry about that," Jaemin shyly smiles. "My friend Renjun."

"Mhm," Mark hums, finally walking away and Jaemin pouts.

"Come back~"

"What for?" Mark rests his head on his hand which are on the counter. "You have coffee."

"Nope," he shakes his head. "I want you."

"Nice try," Mark props himself into and standing position and goes off to clear a few other tables. Lately, the shop has been getting a lot more customers than usual and it's not even midterm season yet. Another boy enters the café, who Mark now knows his name us Jisung.

"Hi, Jisung! Nice to see you’re coming back!" he laughs and waves as Jisung sits down at the table next to where he's cleaning.

"Your coffee is really good Minhyung-hyung." he shyly says, setting his stuff down. "And It's the only place Jaemin doesn't bother me at."

"Jaemin?" Mark gestures behind him where the pink-haired is deliberately staring at his back with a pout. "That one?"

“Yeah, omg he’s here,” He whispers looking away. “he has—unofficially—adopted me,” Jisung grumbles.

"You know why he doesn't bother you?" Mark puts his hands on his hips. "cause he's too busy bothering me." he points to his chest.

"But I love you both~" Jaemin whines from behind them.

"I _don't_." They say in sync. Mark and Jisung laugh and Mark comes over to slap Jisung on the back.

He smiles because Mark Lee can't hurt a fly so it’s not even hard. Jaemin scowls and looks away, continuing work on another table. He greets another late at night customer, also named Jisung, and moves on to make his requested order.

Jaemin sighs when Mark is preoccupied and Jisung has plugged in his fancy noise-cancelling headphones. Chenle got them for Jisung last year on his birthday. He really just doesn't understand, does he?

Jaemin _does_ love him.

* * *

"Where's Mark?"

Instead of Mark, when Jaemin arrives at the counter, its Jaehyun. "Oh, he's been covering a little of my shifts lately these past few months because I've been busy so I'm doing him a favour for the next few weeks and letting him sleep. Why?"

"Oh," He sets his stuff down.

The winter holidays we're coming in about two weeks and even though Jaemin's family were atheist, he still wanted to wish Mark a merry Christmas and maybe take him out for dinner if he can't visit home. Maybe not then.

"C-cool cool."

"Do you want your usual?" Jaehyun asks before he can sit down. He nods affirmingly.

When he gets it though, he whispers to himself, "Tastes better when Mark makes it."

* * *

It's around January when Mark is finally working the counter. During Mark’s break, he decided to visit Canada for a month because It’s been forever since he’s seen them. According to Jaehyun who also took time off for his own break. Jaemin had to find another place because the shop closed earlier to accommodate. For the few odd days, he even had classes, most professors decided to take the holiday weeks off. But they've finally come back from _they’re_ breaks and Mark is back from touring.

Jaemin opens the glass door of the coffee shop around ten pm and it seems as if people coming to the shop has been boosted by quite a bit. Weird but Jaemin tales it, taking a seat at the bar and taking his laptop and some books out.

“Jaemin!” Mark is the first to speak, coming over as he prepares another drink, he’s pouring some kind of milk from the small fridge below the counter and then does that soda trick Jaemin likes to do but with some coffee thing. Mark is making a latte. “You came back!”

“Of course,” he flirts. “Anything for my soon to be boyfriend.”

“Not if I ask you out first~” Mark cheekily replies, giving a smile and Jaemin is taken aback, smiling brighter. Mark Lee? A flirt? Is he okay in the head? But Jaemin brushes it off, liking the feeling of his flirting being returned by someone other than those annoying girls at his university.

“But I’ve already been courting you,” Jaemin types in his laptop’s password and opens his art history textbook. While Mark puts a black plastic top on the solo cup of coffee and writes a name, pushing it out to the counter for someone to grab.

“So you should let _me_ do the honours.” Jaemin smirks, opening docs. He doesn't have to look up but he knows Mark blushes as he walks back to the counter to help another customer.

Seconds later though, Mark is back with what Jaemin assumes another order to make but still manages to respond while he pours just the right amount of different syrups and other things in a silver container. “Alright, I’m free on Saturday if Jaehyun can take over, what do you want to do?”

Jaemin’s head snaps up in the midst of typing at his essay and his textbook and a wireless mouse from both hands drop onto the table. “You–you really mean it?”

“You think I’m joking? Fuck my company, I like you and _I know_ you like me so?” he shrugs like he didn’t just make Na Jaemin the happiest man alive. “Love should always win.”

Jaemin smiles—or grins is more like it—fluffing his pink hair a bit as he shakes his head still not really believing his words and looking at Mark unblinkingly. “Okay. Saturday night, six-thirty, I'll meet you at your company. You just got yourself your first male date _and_ a boyfriend.”

**Author's Note:**

> [ curious cat ](https://curiouscat.me/litteralydonghyuck)   
>  [twitter ](https://twitter.com/hyuckieswrld)   
> 


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